by Faith Gibson
Before Jasper could park his car, Abbi came running out of the house. “Abbi, what’s wrong?” Jasper threw his car in park and hurried over to her before she could get in her own vehicle.
“Matthew’s been attacked!” She didn’t elaborate.
“Wait, let me drive you,” he pleaded, but she was already in her car, backing away from the garage. “Fuck!” He jumped in his car and took off after Abbi. He hit the button on his steering wheel and dialed Frey.
“Hey Jas, I’m just about there.”
“Have you heard from Sixx?”
“No, why?”
Jasper sighed, “Abbi ran out of the house yelling that Matthew has been attacked. She wouldn’t let me drive her. I can only assume she’s headed to the hospital. Frey, what the fuck? I thought Sixx was guarding the kid.”
“Godsdamnit, follow her!” Frey disconnected in his ear. Turning on his police band, he listened for any indication of what happened. When there was nothing about Matthew coming across the air, Jasper called the dispatcher.
Jasper wasn’t familiar with the weekend shift, but he called anyway. “This is Detective Jasper Jenkins. Has a call come through regarding an assault on a teenage boy?”
“Yes, Sir. The victim is in route to New Atlanta Hospital. He was beaten pretty badly behind the restaurant where he works.”
“Thank you,” he said and hung up. He turned on his red and blue flashers, passed Abbi when it was safe, and gave her an escort to the hospital. At least this way he could set the speed limit for her. When they arrived at the hospital, Frey was already waiting at the emergency room entrance with a sick looking Michael.
When Jasper turned into the parking lot at the hospital, he noticed Abbi wasn’t behind him. She drove right up to the entrance and jumped out, motor still running. He got out of his car just in time to hear her yell at Frey, “I thought you could keep us safe!” Frey reached out for her, but she twisted away and continued on into the hospital.
Jasper told Frey, “Go after her. I’ll park her car.” From the look on Frey’s face, Jasper probably needed to run interference between him and Sixx. They would have to work that out between themselves, though. Jasper had two vehicles to get out of the way.
Frey wanted to pound his fellow Gargoyle into the ground, but more than that, he wanted to comfort his mate. Sixx had already explained what happened, and it couldn’t be changed. All they could do now was damage control. Frey didn’t wait on Sixx or Jasper. He strode into the emergency room where a frantic Abbi was disappearing through a set of double doors. When he started to follow, a nurse stopped him. “I’m with Abbi,” he told the short, stocky bull of a woman standing in his way.
“She said she didn’t have any other family, and only family is allowed in there.”
Frey pulled out his phone. When recent events outed the Chief of Staff, Joseph Mooneyham’s true identity as Isabelle’s father, Jonas Montague, all the Gargoyles put his number on speed dial. “Joseph, sorry to bother you. I’m at the ER with my uh, good friend, Abbi. Nurse…” Frey looked down at her security badge, “Nurse Benson won’t let me go back with her.”
“I take it this Abbi is your mate?” Jonas asked. “What is going on with the fates? Why are you all finding your mates all of a sudden?”
“Joseph…” Frey admonished the doctor who tended to ramble.
“Yes, yes, put her on.”
Frey handed the phone to the nurse. “Here, Dr. Mooneyham wants a word.”
The nurse grabbed the phone and listened. When she was finished, she shoved it back in his hand. “Follow me.”
By that time, Sixx and Jasper had caught up with him. “They’re with me,” he thumbed over his shoulder.
The nurse, who hadn’t been intimidated by Frey, just looked at the other two large Gargoyles and shook her head. “Of course they are,” she mumbled under her breath. She opened the door and said, “Third room on the right.”
The three Goyles silently strode down the hall to the waiting room. Abbi was pacing the floor, arms wrapped around her waist. Frey’s heart knew hers was breaking before he saw the tears falling from her eyes. “Abbi,” he whispered. When she noticed the three large men, her eyes widened for just a second before they narrowed accusingly. Before he could stop her, Abbi flung herself at Frey, beating on his chest.
“This is your fault. You said you’d keep us safe, and now Matthew is fighting for his life! Damn you! Let go of me! Get your hands off me!” Abbi was screaming. If he didn’t get her under control, they’d all be kicked out. He wrapped her in his arms, pinning her arms between their bodies.
“Abbi I…”
Sixx interrupted him, “No, this is my fault. Abbi, I take full responsibility. I was the one who was supposed to be watching Matthew. Geoffrey isn’t to blame.”
Abbi stilled in Frey’s arms as she glared at Sixx. “Then what the hell happened? How did this happen?”
“I was sitting in a booth facing the kitchen. I didn’t want to disrupt Matthew’s work by sitting in the kitchen with him. Now I know I should have. Every time the door opened, I could see him at the sink, washing dishes. The waitress brought me a coffee refill when I heard the manager yelling. He had sent Matthew to take the trash out. I never thought someone would be waiting on him out back. I’m so sorry.”
Abbi wrenched out of Frey’s arms. “If this is how you keep someone safe, I’ll take my chances at home. I want you all to leave.”
“Abbi, no. You have to know that Troy is responsible for this. Please,” Jasper pleaded.
“You’re probably right, but if I had stayed home, Matthew wouldn’t be here. This is my fault, I never should have left.” Abbi turned her back on them.
Frey knew the moment she retreated into herself; the moment he lost her. He motioned toward the door with his head, and Jasper and Sixx left the room. He closed the distance between them, but didn’t touch her. “I hope you change your mind, but I understand we fucked up. You will never know how much I regret not being there for him today. If either of you get into trouble and ever need my assistance, just call. If I’m not close by, someone will come to your aid, no questions asked. I’m sorry, Abbi. I never meant for this to happen, I only wanted to keep you both safe, and I failed miserably. Just know that I will always be there for you. Today, tomorrow, a week, a year, twenty years from now. Always.” When Abbi refused to look at him, Frey retreated from the room.
Jasper and Sixx were waiting in the hall. Sixx looked like a man who was facing the firing squad. Frey did the only thing he could at the moment and walked away without looking back. As he was headed toward the exit, Jonas was walking his way. “I got here as quick as I could. Tell me everything you know.”
Frey quietly told the doctor what had transpired, from meeting Matthew at the gym, to the attack earlier. “That bastard did this to him; I feel it in my gut. Now Abbi doesn’t trust me. She was going to file a restraining order and let you document her bruises. Now she doesn’t want anything to do with any of us.”
“I will go check on Matthew. Once he’s in a room, we will station one of our own outside his door so no one but his sister can get inside. As for your mate, let me handle Abigail. You hang tight and don’t give up hope.” The older Goyle patted him on the arm and strode toward the room where Abbi was waiting. Alone. All Frey could do was trust Jonas to talk some sense into her. Frey walked out into the bright sunlight and closed his eyes. He wanted to stand sentry at Matthew’s door, but that would cause too much heartache for both him and Abbi. He called Urijah to take the first shift.
“Frey, wait up.” Jasper jogged to the Jeep before Frey could climb in. “What can I do to help? I want Abbi away from this dickhead, too.”
“Get with Dane. Find this bastard and follow him. I don’t want him taking a shit that we aren’t right there watching him wipe his ass.”
Jasper dug a set of keys out of his pocket. “These are Abbi’s. I forgot to give them to her.”
Frey took them from Jasper. “
“I’m calling Dane now. Just yell if you need anything.” Jasper clapped Frey on the shoulder and turned toward his car. He stopped when he noticed Sixx standing a few feet away, head down, hands in his pockets. Jasper asked, “Has anyone ever told you that you look like the lead singer for Cyanide Sweetness?”
Sixx sighed, “Yes.”
Jasper gripped his shoulder and squeezed. He was about to walk off when a car came precariously close to the three of them. “Hey!” Jasper yelled. “Holy shit, that’s Trevor. I need to talk to him.” He took off jogging after Dante’s assistant.
After the detective ran off, Sixx looked up. “Frey, I…”
“Don’t. I’m not mad, Michael. It could have happened to any of us. We didn’t expect Troy to be waiting on him. Now we know better.”
“What do you need me to do? I have to make this up to you, to Abbi and Matthew.”
“Julian is heading to Egypt to help Nik find Sophia. I need you to be our computer genius while he’s away. I want you to investigate Troy Quinn. I want to know everything about the bastard from the time he was born up to what he had for breakfast this morning.”
“I can do that. I’ll head to the lab now.” Michael fisted his heart and bowed to Frey. “On my honor.”
Chapter Nineteen
Trevor seriously needed to get out of bed. The ceiling tiles were the same now as they had been for the last few hours, and they clearly weren’t going to answer his questions. Why did he think Jasper would actually want him? How did he let himself hope there was a chance for him and the gorgeous detective? What did he have to offer anyone, really? When Jasper kissed him, was it out of pity? He’d said he wanted Trevor in his home. Hell, he even gave him his own code to get in. What was that about if he didn’t really want Trevor? Jasper had called and texted a couple of times. Trevor just couldn’t bring himself to listen to the voice message. The texts were basic, “what happened to you?” questions.
Maybe Jasper had wanted him until Craig came back into his life. Craig, the equally gorgeous firefighter, who was built almost as well as Jasper. When Trevor had received the anonymous text the previous night, he’d arrived just in time to see Jasper in Craig’s arms. Jasper probably figured Trevor was not adventurous enough after his reaction to the photos. Whatever. He was used to being alone.
He should probably get out of bed and go to the hospital. Dante had texted him late, letting Trevor know he’d arrived home during the night with his new family in tow. Dante said he’d explain later. He would want to get them settled and not have to worry about the morgue. Trevor didn’t have to work on Saturdays, but he didn’t want to stay home and have any more of a pity party than he already had with his friend, Jack Daniels, the night before.
The decision to get up was made for him as a knock sounded on his front door. He rolled off the bed and padded to see who it was. He honestly didn’t care that his hair was on end or his breath reeked of whiskey. He looked through the peephole. Seeing no one, he unlocked the deadbolts and slowly opened the door. He was just about to close it when he noticed an envelope on the floor. He picked it up and locked back up. The envelope had no identifying marks on it other than his name written across the front. Trevor had a really bad feeling about what he’d find inside.
Instead of opening the envelope right away, he found a bottle of aspirin and popped four of them, chasing them with orange juice. “Yuck,” he said aloud to the empty room. He really needed to brush his teeth. He headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He brushed his teeth while waiting for the water to heat up. The last few showers he’d taken had been lengthy with thoughts of Jasper filling his head while his hard cock filled his hand. This morning, he rushed through the motions as the memory of Jasper in Craig’s arms kept his dick deflated.
Trevor dressed and headed out the door, grabbing the ominous envelope. He drove to a nearby fast food restaurant, ordering two biscuits and a large coffee. He threw in an order of hash browns for good measure. He would just have to work extra hard at the gym, but he needed the carbs to soak up the alcohol. As he was waiting for the cars ahead to move up, he picked up the envelope and ran his finger under the seal. A stack of photos was inside. Trevor knew he should wait until he got to the hospital to look, but curiosity got the better of him. He took out the first picture, and his heart clenched. The second was a little worse than the first, but the third had him wanting to throw up. The car behind him honked bringing his attention away from the pictures of Jasper in various stages of sex.
He paid for his food and drove to the hospital on autopilot. As he pulled into the parking lot, Trevor almost ran over three large men. He mumbled, “Sorry,” as he looked out his window. Fuck! One of the men was Jasper, one was the owner of the gym, and the other looked like Desmond Rothchild. Instead of stopping, he continued on to his parking spot. Trevor knew he was going to hate himself for it, but he grabbed the envelope along with his take-out bag and headed to the back door. Jasper was yelling his name, but he ignored him. He couldn’t talk to him right now. If Trevor ignored him, hopefully Jasper would get the hint and leave him alone.
He unlocked the door to the morgue and entered the cold, sterile room, turning on lights as he went. He sat his breakfast and the envelope down on an empty slab. He turned on the stereo, cranking the volume. His mind was whirling. Did he eat his breakfast first and risk throwing it up when he looked at the pictures later? Or did he look at the pictures first and lose his appetite completely. The smart thing to do was to avoid the photos all together. Trevor had never claimed to be that smart.
Jasper was getting pissed. If Trevor couldn’t handle Jasper’s past, he could at least be man enough and tell him so instead of fucking ignoring him. He knew Trevor heard him call out to him because he turned around. He didn’t have time for this shit. He needed to get with Dane and find Quinn, but he also needed to see Trevor. The music was blaring from inside the morgue. When he walked into the room, Trevor was deep in concentration. He had what appeared to be photos in his hands. Had he taken some of the ones from Jasper’s home? Trevor’s face paled more with each photo he looked at.
“Trevor,” he said, his voice rising above the music. His mate looked up at him before running from the room. Jasper walked over to the stainless table and glanced at the photos. Staring back at him were pictures of himself at various points in time, but all while having sex with Craig. That in itself was bad enough, but the worst part was the date stamp in the bottom corner of the pictures. Every picture was dated at some point that week, including the day before. “Fuck. FUCK!”
Jasper didn’t have to turn the music down to hear Trevor puking in the next room. Even though he had no logical explanation for the photos, he couldn’t let Trevor think what he was seeing was the truth. He walked through to the next room just as Trevor was wiping his mouth. Tears were streaming down his face, whether from the pressure of throwing up or from what he’d seen, Jasper didn’t know. “Trevor, it’s not what it looks like.”
Trevor glared at him as he harshly wiped the tears off his face. “Really? Because it looks like you’ve been fucking your ex, and recently I might add.” Trevor turned his back on him, sobs wracking his body. Jasper’s heart was ripping in two. He closed the distance, placing his hands on Trevor’s arms for comfort. Instead, Trevor jerked away from him, yelling “Get away from me!”
“Trevor, please, I can explain.” But honestly, he couldn’t. “I don’t know who gave you those, but I swear to all that’s holy, those are not from this past week. I haven’t seen Craig in a long time.”
“The people in the photos, they are you and Craig, right? You don’t deny that?”
“Of course I can’t deny it. But Trev, somehow, whoever sent those found a way to date stamp them this week. I haven’t been with Craig in months.”
“So, you weren’t with him last night at the parking lot on Kingsley?”
Oh shit. “Yes, but…”
“No fucking buts. Just get out of here, and take those fucking pictures with you. I don’t want to see them or you.”
“Trevor, please!” Jasper would get down on his knees and beg if he had to.
“GO!” Trevor yelled again, turning his back on him.
Jasper didn’t want to leave things as they were, but he didn’t have a choice. “I will go, but we aren’t finished discussing this,” he said to Trevor’s back. When Trevor refused to look at him, Jasper grabbed the incriminating photos, shoved them in the envelope, and left. After he found Troy Quinn, he was going to find Craig and get some fucking answers.
Abbi looked at the new phone Frey had given her. How many times had Troy called? If she had just kept her old phone with her instead of giving it to Frey, maybe she could have kept this from happening to her brother. “Oh, Matty. What have I done?” The door opened, and a doctor walked in.
“Mrs. Quinn, I’m Dr. Mooneyham, Chief of Staff.”
“How’s Matt? Please, doctor, how’s my brother?”
The doctor gestured to the chairs and took a seat across from her. “You’re brother’s a fighter. He has a few broken ribs. From the pattern of the bruising, it appears he was kicked with great force. Other than his ribs, he incurred some superficial bruising. He has been given a heavy sedative, but he’ll be waking up soon. The police are going to talk to him, find out who did this. Abigail, I think you already know how serious this is. I also think you know who did this. The police are investigating, and when they find the culprit, he will go to jail. If you allow me to document your injuries as well, he will go to jail for a long, long time.”
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